48MoH: New Jersey Nets 85, San Antonio Spurs 97

[Blackjack]

New Jersey Nets 85, San Antonio Spurs 97
by Timothy Varner

The Spurs beat the Nets in a game that many saw as a yawn in between contests against the Mavericks and Lakers. And the 97-85 victory certainly reads that way: playoff bound Spurs cruise past the woeful Nets; Tim Duncan plays an easy 27 minutes.

If you’re looking at the big picture stuff, this game provides a quick capper. Tim Duncan scored 14 points and grabbed a season-high 17 boards in limited action. Manu Ginobili was a potpourri of sensational, scoring 21 points in 26 minutes. When Manu Ginobili is playing well, he likes to do stuff like this:

Keep reading → (http://www.48minutesofhell.com/2010/01/11/new-jersey-nets-85-san-antonio-spurs-97/)

[hater]

why you never post the whole article??

[Blackjack]

Because they need and deserve the traffic over to their site to keep doing what they do..

[Stump]

I can't access the link from this computer. Could somebody post it?

Edit: I recognize that they need the traffic, so I understand if you don't want to post it here. 48MoH is a great blog that consistently puts up solid material, so I'd hate to hurt it.

[hater]

Because they need and deserve the traffic over to their site to keep doing what they do..

are you affiliated with them in any way?

[Blackjack]

are you affiliated with them in any way?

Nope. They're good people and have never asked me to not post their articles, (which is what I used to do) but I wasn't aware of how this interweb stuff worked. I was informed a while back about how Google calculates traffic and does their thing, so I figured it was the least I could do to post the link since they were providing such a quality product for free.

[hater]

cool. It's convenient to read whole article here but I see ur point. they are good ppls

[SenorSpur]

The more I read this piece, the more pissed off I got. Yes, it was Ian's comig out party and it's about damn time.

This perceived frontcourt depth that the Spurs supposed to have is a goddamn mirage. Ratliff is experienced, but is brittle and has a significant injury history. He hasn't played much, as Pop is clearly saving him for the stretch run and playoffs. Dice has a good resume and is a quality player, but has looked lost and virtually ineffective. He's our best hope for a quality big to pair with Duncan, but is clearly in decline. What if he doesn't come around consistently? Blair is a beast, but is undersized and, like Ian, is very green. Of course, Pop has to be concerned with monitoring Duncan's minutes throughout the season, to preserve his good health.

All that said, this sets up a perfect opportunity to see what Ian really has - even at the expense of deactivating Ratliff on a regular basis and cutting into the minutes for both Duncan and Dice. This middle part of the season, where road games are treacherous and back-to-back games are a certainty, is the perfect opportunity to give Ian some burn. Frankly, I don't understand why Ian hasn't played thus far.

There is a different landscape in the NBA now. Athleticism is at a premium. Every other team in the NBA, even contenders, are willing to take a chance on promising young talent and some clubs are even willing to develop a player or two on the fly. The thought of giving away a young, talented frontcourt player is insane. There is no reason Ian should play anywhere else but in San Antonio.

[SenorSpur]

Here's the article.

New Jersey Nets 85, San Antonio Spurs 97

The Spurs beat the Nets in a game that many saw as a yawn in between contests against the Mavericks and Lakers. And the 97-85 victory certainly reads that way: playoff bound Spurs cruise past the woeful Nets; Tim Duncan plays an easy 27 minutes.

If you’re looking at the big picture stuff, this game provides a quick capper. Tim Duncan scored 14 points and grabbed a season-high 17 boards in limited action. Manu Ginobili was a potpourri of sensational, scoring 21 points in 26 minutes. When Manu Ginobili is playing well, he likes to do stuff like this:

But that was, amazingly, neither the highlight nor the most important storyline of the game. No, this game against the Nets will be remembered as Ian Mahinmi’s first meaningful game in the NBA.

Mahinmi has technically played NBA minutes. But not many, and never when a game was still undecided. The bulk of his professional experience came two years ago with the Austin Toros, where he excelled as the D-League’s best player. Prior to this game, Ian Mahinmi had not even seen the active list for the Spurs. He played 24 minutes in this game, putting together an impressive 15 points, 9 rebounds and the block you saw in the highlight above.

Why did the Spurs activate Ian Mahinmi, let alone play him?

Gregg Popovich said, “You feel it when you feel it. He’s worked hard for two years and had some bad breaks with injuries. It was good to give Tim a little rest. You don’t want to look past anybody and I knew Ian wouldn’t do that. He did a good job.”

George Hill indicated that Mahinmi played because someone was injured: “He did a great job of coming in and stepping in for one of our hurt players and filling their role.”

Most Spurs fans assumed their team was showcasing the French big for another team during trade season.

Whatever the case, I was happy to see Mahinmi on the court. At points, I’ve blogged about him more than Tony Parker. As a D-Leaguer, Mahinmi convinced me that he was a rotation quality center. But then injury, a mediocre training camp, the Spurs’ decision not to exercise his contract option, and the absence of a single minute of playing time indicated differently.

On December 23 I published a post called A Christmas Wish: Play Ian Mahinmi. A little late, but thanks Pop.

It remains to be seen whether this game was a fluke, or if Mahinmi will receive any more minutes. Perhaps, he will be traded. What we do know is that he looked good. Ian Mahinmi is 23, big and skilled. He should be playing somewhere.

I hope Ian Mahinmi continues to develop. As a Spurs fan, it’s not just about cheering for him. If Ian Mahinmi transforms into a success story, his achievements will validate all the work the San Antonio Spurs have put into the Austin Toros. It’s a win for everybody.

[Bender]

never mind

[Blackjack]

Coming strong lately, Senor.

Blackjack likes.:tu

[SenorSpur]

I'm watching reruns of this game and I'm falling in love with this kid more and more. That sequence of the block on one end and the dunk on the other is scintillating. I haven't seen a block like that since, well Ratliff. It harked back to the D-Rob era.

As others have stated, I'm wondering why they didn't pick up Ian's option? Frankly, I'm also wondering why there is even a debate about whether this guy should be on the roster? The answer is clear.

Obtaining Ratliff was good insurance, but if this kid and gets some seasoning, they wouldn't need to rely on Ratliff. This guy was the best big man in the D-League last year. It's clear he's hungry and, from all accounts, he works hard. There is no reason he can't be a rotation player. The only thing holding him back is Pop. Pop needs to take his own advice and "get over himself."

I'm sick of the Spurs punishing young talent in favor of old-age veterans, who've exceeded their NBA shelf life. I'd rather have a raw, inexpensive, young player, than an older, experienced player, who is injury-prone and less likely to have it on back-to-back nights. It's better to be young and mediocre than old, expensive and mediocre.

[angelbelow]

Because they need and deserve the traffic over to their site to keep doing what they do..

:toast

[ElNono]

Because they need and deserve the traffic over to their site to keep doing what they do..

Funny. If the entire article is not in here, I normally won't read it.

[objective]

I'm watching reruns of this game and I'm falling in love with this kid more and more. That sequence of the block on one end and the dunk on the other is scintillating. I haven't seen a block like that since, well Ratliff. It harked back to the D-Rob era.

As others have stated, I'm wondering why they didn't pick up Ian's option? Frankly, I'm also wondering why there is even a debate about whether this guy should be on the roster? The answer is clear.

Obtaining Ratliff was good insurance, but if this kid and gets some seasoning, they wouldn't need to rely on Ratliff. This guy was the best big man in the D-League last year. It's clear he's hungry and, from all accounts, he works hard. There is no reason he can't be a rotation player. The only thing holding him back is Pop. Pop needs to take his own advice and "get over himself."

I'm sick of the Spurs punishing young talent in favor of old-age veterans, who've exceeded their NBA shelf life. I'd rather have a raw, inexpensive, young player, than an older, experienced player, who is injury-prone and less likely to have it on back-to-back nights. It's better to be young and mediocre than old, expensive and mediocre.

Everything you've written is spot on. I've written for months that Ian should be active over Ratliff. Not because it was guaranteed that Ian would be good, but because Ratliff was insurance. Playoff insurance. He didn't need to be active during some middle of the week forgettable contest against mediocre teams . . . it's just stupid. He was signed for playoff situations.

Ratliff wasn't going to forget how to play, and he was enough of a pro to stay in shape. He was limited in how many minutes he could play, thus his potential was limited. All Ian could do was grow and fulfill his potential.

Sportcoat Straitjacket, costing the Spurs big time since Stephen Jackson in 2002.